Monday, August 11, 2008

Tent State gives up Civic Center permit; more protest plans revealed

Organizers for Tent State University said Sunday they'll relinquish a permit they hold to stage a protest in Denver's Civic Center on Aug. 20 [sic] during the Democratic National Convention.

"Aug. 20" is way wrong, of course, seeing as how the convention doesn't start until Aug. 25. The permit is actually for the 27th.

The move came after a brief dust-up over the permit during a meeting of about 50 people representing several groups that plan to stage protests in Denver during the DNC. . . .

During Sunday's meeting at the Tivoli Student Activities Center on the Auraria campus, members of Re-create 68 questioned why Tent City had not given their permit to the other groups [after moving to Cuernavaca Park].

"That permit is going to go to waste," said Jill Dreier, a member of Re-create 68.

After the meeting, Tent State organizer Adam Jung said his group would turn the permit back to the city.

He said that would enable it to go to the next organizer on the list, which he said was someone from Re-create 68. . . .

Yay!

The groups ranged from Code Pink, which hopes to disrupt traffic with random groups of cyclists and in-line skaters, to Food Not Bombs, which hopes to supply meals to the protesters on two days that week. . . .

Lydia Giordano of Code Pink said her group hopes to attract about 160 members from across the nation. Some will dress as beauty pageant contestants wearing sashes that read, "Miss Justice" and "Miss Freedom.". . .

Gawd. I keep getting flashes of "Miss Freedom" sprawled across the hood of an SUV like a prize pink deer.

As the meeting ended, one group unfurled a banner that read "Our Future Shall Be Decided for Ourselves." They donned bandanas on their faces and marched about two blocks to the Pepsi Center, where the convention will be held.

"Our Future Shall Be Decided for Ourselves." True to protester form, it doesn't even make sense. But as long as they wore bandanas. . .

Steve Wangh of the Progressive Democrats of America said he found the meeting to be both useful and interesting. His group is planning four days of talks at the Central Presbyterian Church, including speakers such as Rep. John Conyers and former prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi.

Bugliosi's dream: Re-create the Manson Family!

Other groups plan to bring in people such as Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader, Iraq War protester Cindy Sheehan and Vietnam War veteran and protester Ron Kovic.

Can't we just get Tom Cruise to reprise his role as Ron Kovic? Hey, maybe he could do a triple-threat deal like Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove and play Cindy Sheehan and Ralph Nader, too.

Wangh said he was struck by the diverse aims of the various groups in the room.

"I was in the 1960s," he added. "It's interesting to hear people aspiring to the '60s."